Startpage for Swedish National Agency for Higher Education

 
 

About the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education and Higher Education in Sweden

The web site of the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education hsv.se


Hsv.se is the web site of Högskoleverket (Swedish National Agency for Higher Education). It contains comprehensive information about higher education in Sweden. This includes information about the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education, about how higher education institutions function, about the laws and ordinances that regulate higher education and about the assessment of international studies. The web site also presents current statistics relating to higher education. The Agency's publications, such as reports and decisions, are also available on the web site.

Hsv.se is in Swedish. More information is available below, with links about higher education in Sweden in [English].

Higher Education in Sweden


In Sweden, the state is responsible for activities in the area of higher education. The Swedish Riksdag and the government decide which rules shall apply and how resources are to be allocated, but higher education institutes (HEIs) are individual authorities. This means that they can make many decisions about their own work.

There are no major differences between the two types of HEI, universities and university colleges (högskolor). All universities and most university colleges are state-run. However, one difference is that at a university you can always progress to third-cycle programmes when you have completed your studies at first-cycle and second-cycle levels. This is not always possible at a university college.

There are 39 HEIs in Sweden. They carry out education and research in partnership with society at large. There are also a number of independent (private) education providers who are entitled to provide higher education. The Agency's web site has a list of addresses to all HEIs.

What the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education Does

Promotes the development of quality in higher education


Högskoleverket (Swedish National Agency for Higher Education) inspects programmes at higher education institutes (HEIs) in order to audit and develop their quality. Our aim is to provide inspiration and the necessary tools for HEIs to improve their programmes. Over a six-year period, we assess all the programmes that lead to general higher education qualifications and professional qualifications, as well as third-cycle programmes. This includes reviewing the HEIs entitlement to award degrees. We provide feedback to the HEIs on the basis of these inspections, as well as publishing reports and national profiles.

The Agency also examines HEIs applications entitlement to award a degree for a particular programme. If the programme fulfils the quality requirements, the application is approved.

Assesses International Study Programmes


If you have completed a study programme outside of Sweden, you can have it assessed by Högskoleverket (Swedish National Agency for Higher Education). We will then tell you the Swedish programme to which yours is an equivalent. We also provide information to HEIs and employers about how international studies can be recognised in Sweden.

Some higher education programmes lead to professions that are regulated in Sweden. International study programmes for these professions are assessed by the relevant public authority.

Below is a list of which public authorities manage the regulated professions.  Addresses to the authorities are available on another page.

Regulated profession Competent public authority
Advokat (law) Sveriges advokatsamfund (Swedish Bar Association)
Apotekare (pharmacy), arbetsterapeut (occupational therapy), audionom (audiology), barnmorska (midwifery), biomedicinsk analytiker (biomedical laboratory science), dietist (dietetics), kiropraktor (chiropractics), logoped (speech and language pathology), läkare (medicine), naprapath (naprapathy), optiker (optometry), ortopedingenjör (orthopaedic engineering), psykolog (psychology), psykoterapeut (psychotherapy), receptarie (pharmacy), röntgensjuksköterska (radiology nursing), sjukgymnast (physiotherapy), sjukhusfysiker (medical physics), sjuksköterska (nursing), tandhygienist (dental hygiene), tandläkare (dentistry) Socialstyrelsen (National Board of Health and Welfare)
Auktoriserad tolk (authorised interpreter), auktoriserad översättare (authorised translator) Kammarkollegiet (Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency)
Brandskyddskontrollant (fire safety officer) Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency)
Elinstallatör (electrical contractor) Elsäkerhetsverket (National Electrical Safety Board)
Fastighetsmäklare (estate agent) Fastighetsmäklarnämnden (Swedish Board of Supervision of Estate Agents)
Lärare inom det offentliga skolväsendet (Teacher in the state school system) Högskoleverket (Swedish National Agency for Higher Education)
Trafiklärare (driving instructor) Vägverket (Swedish Road Administration)
Veterinär (veterinary surgeon) Jordbruksverket (Swedish Board of Agriculture)
Väktare (security guard) Länsstyrelsen i Stockholms län (County Administrative Board of Stockholm)
You can read more about the assessment of international studies and the assessment of teaching qualifications in the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education's brochures.

Informs About and Encourages Education


The Agency provides information about higher education through the www.studera.nu web site and a range of printed material. There is also a net-based handbook for doctoral students. We also work to influence attitudes, in order to increase the proportion of students in higher education who come from homes with no previous experience of higher education and from backgrounds that are not ethnic Swedish.

Monitors whether Study Programmes Lead to Work


The Agency monitors and continually reports on the developments and trends in the labour market. We investigate whether the right number of people are trained in particular fields. We also investigate the labour market situation for people who have graduated in various fields.

Monitors Students' Legal Rights


The Agency follows up and assesses how HEIs apply laws and ordinances. One reason we do this is to ensure that students are treated correctly. We perform assessments when tasked by the government, on our own initiative and if an individual files a report.

Analyses and Investigates the Higher Education System


The Agency analyses the activities of the HEIs and publishes analyses and thematic studies. The primary aim is to provide the Swedish Riksdag and government a basis on which they can make decisions on important issues in higher education. We also want our investigations, for example those within education, equality and disability rights, to contribute to the development of higher education.

Compiles Statistics about the Higher Education Sector


The Agency is responsible for official statistics regarding higher education. We decide what information should be gathered and how it should be processed. This includes gathering statistics about the number of students on programmes, the distribution of age and sex among teachers in higher education and how much time is spent on research in various subjects. We continually analyse and publish statistics on our web site, as well as in an annual report each spring.
 

Monitors Higher Education in Other Countries


The Agency monitors developments in the field of higher education, primarily in Europe and the US, as well as the rest of the world. The aim is to make it easier for students to move between different countries and different education systems. Up-to-date information is published in a special newsletter.

Information about Higher Education in Other Languages


A short version of the web site for Högskoleverket (Swedish National Agency for Higher Education) is published in English.

The Swedish National Agency for Higher Education's brochure "Studying in Higher Education" provides more information about the Swedish higher education system.

The brochure is available in Albanian, Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, English, French, simplified Swedish, Persian, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Turkish. It is also available on the Internet in Finnish, Yiddish, Romani, Sami and Meänkieli (Tornedal Finnish). The brochure is available in a number of different languages, including [English]. It can be read here as a pdf file.

Other Public Authorities in the Higher Education Sector

Centrala studiestödsnämnden, CSN, (Swedish Board for Study Support) which administers financial aid and other support for students.

Internationella programkontoret (International Programme Office for Education and Training), which supports schools, HEIs, companies, organisations and individuals participating in international exchanges and partnerships.

Svenska Institutet (Swedish Institute), which is tasked with promoting interest in Sweden abroad and has responsibility for international exchanges in culture, education, research and society in general.

Verket för högskoleservice, VHS, (Swedish Agency for Higher Education Services) carries out the admissions process for most study programmes on behalf of HEIs.

Ordering Brochures and a Reader for pdf Documents


In order to be able to read pdf documents, you will need the Acrobat Reader programme. This can be downloaded free from Adobe's web site.

You can also order the paper versions of the brochures via our publications webshop.

Last updated: 2010-07-09
Contact: , Email: firstname.lastname@hsv.se
Swedish National Agency for Higher Education  Visting address: Luntmakargatan 13  Box 7851, 103 99 Stockholm
Phone: 08-563 085 00  Fax: 08-563 085 50  Email: hsv@hsv.se